RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY MASS INDEX AND BLOOD PRESSURE LEVEL AMONG VISITORS OF SHAR TEACHING HOSPITAL IN SULAYMANIYAH CITY

Abstract

BackgroundObesity and Hypertension are major public health problems of global significance. The Framingham Study, a population-based study initiated in the United States, demonstrated that men and women had increased blood pressure with increased overweight. ObjectiveTo determine the relationship between body mass index and blood pressure level in Sulaimani city. Patients and MethodsThis is a descriptive-analytic quantitative study conducted in Sulaimani city for those who visited Shar Hospital from December 2021 to March 2022. Three hundred people were recruited (150 cases, 150 control). The sociodemographic characteristics and information regarding (the BP) and (BMI) of each person were collected. The data was collected by using a predesigned questionnaire by direct interview. ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 50.2±18.3 years. (53.7%) were female (46.3%) were male. Most of them were married (85.7%), illiterate (30%), Occupation as a housewife (41%), and urban residents (77.7%). Sixteen. Seven percent had HTN for 1-5 years (50.3%) and had a family history of HTN, most of them from their mother (16%), non-diabetic (72.7%), non-smoker (73%), and non-alcoholic (96.7). ConclusionsAccording to the result of the study, there was a significant relationship between BP (systolic and diastolic) and BMI.